With support from Feeding America West Michigan Food Bank and a local homeless shelter, Dana Knight overcame homelessness with her health and dignity intact. For several months this past fall, Dana lived in the strange world of victimization and kindness that hundreds of Grand Rapids' homeless live in every day.

Much to the disappointment of his grand plan - Alfie didn't win a cup by signing with the Red Wings in July 2013 for one year. He did record a respectable season, with 18 goals, and 49 points in only 68 games.

Along the way we've discovered some incredible places that rarely make the top destination lists compiled by traditional travel media. So we decided to start a series dedicated to promoting the world's most underrated cities.

We hear so much about a few, high profile arts bankruptcies that the conventional wisdom has it that every arts organization is in trouble. This has repercussions for all of us who manage, or care about, arts organizations.

More and more, it appears, people are not just voting with their feet to visit and use parks, but they are literally casting their ballots and voting with their pocketbooks to say that parks are crucial parts of their communities.

Over the past few decades, Grand Rapids has seen an exciting boom of sorts. While the magnitude of a Detroit turnaround will require much more, I believe the Motor City can learn a thing or two from our neighbor city in West Michigan as it continues to capitalize on recent successes.

While many factors are responsible for the health and fiscal sustainability of an arts organization, a critical relationship is chemistry between an artistic director and an executive director. But what makes these partnership dynamics successful, and what do the good teams have in common?

My fellow traveler read my powerpoint from behind me on the airplane. And my car service driver watched it live on the web. Certainly my 'private' presentation to the TEDx community was more public than I ever imagined.